title: Protective effect of cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) cladode extract upon nickel-induced toxicity in rats.
abstract: The purpose of this study carried out on male Wistar rats, was to evaluate the protective effects of regular ingestion of juice from the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) cladodes against nickel chloride toxicity. Rats were given either normal tap water or water containing 25% of cactus juice for one month. Then, rats of each group were injected daily, for 10 days, with either NiCl(2) solution (4mg (30micromol)/kg body weight) or with the same volume of saline solution (300mM NaCl). Significant increases of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase activities and of cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels were observed in blood of nickel-treated rats. In the liver, nickel chloride was found to induce an oxidative stress evidenced by an increase in lipid peroxidation and changes in antioxidant enzymes activities. Superoxide-dismutase (SOD) activity was found to be increased whereas glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities were decreased. These changes did not occur in animals previously given cactus juice, demonstrating a protective effect of this vegetal extract.
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche Biochimie macromoléculaire et Génétique, Faculté des Sciences, 2133 Gafsa, Tunisia. najhfaiedh@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Najla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hfaiedh
authors.forename: Mohamed Salah
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Allagui
authors.forename: Mbarka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hfaiedh
authors.forename: Abdelfattah El
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Feki
authors.forename: Lazhar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zourgui
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Croute
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D009532:Nickel / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity*; D029747:Opuntia / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001786:Blood Glucose; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014280:Triglycerides; D009532:Nickel; D002784:Cholesterol; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase